News Briefs

SAN FRANCISCO: Kelly McGinnis has joined Fleishman-Hillard as deputy GM of its San Francisco office. She leads the office's marketing communications team, and oversees various consumer clients, including Yahoo! and Kodak. Prior to joining Fleishman, McGinnis managed corporate communications for drugstore.com.

NEW YORK: Business tech provider Conchango has tapped Lewis PR to increase awareness of the company in the US. Lewis will launch an awareness building campaign, which will complement the media campaign it has run for Conchango in the UK for the past two years.

NEW YORK: Dan Klores Communications has named five new partners: Liz Anklow, head of DKC's consumer products division; Bruce Bobbins, former SVP; Joe DePlasco, former EVP; Scott Miranda, former SVP; and Matthew Traub, DKC's chief of staff. They join two previously named individuals - Nathalie Moar, head of the entertainment and fashion division and Chris Widmaier, head of the sports and media properties division - as partners alongside president Dan Klores and senior partners Sean Cassidy, Luana Floccuzio, and John Marino.

ALEXANDRIA, VA: The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) named Lee Verstandig, former head of the National Realtors Association's DC office, SVP for government affairs. In his new post, Verstandig will work with Larry Kocot, SVP for policy and regulatory affairs and general counsel, to boost NACDS' visibility in policy debates.

NEW YORK: Pfizer has employed Andy Morris & Company to generate media attention for its traveling exhibit on the human brain, "Brain: The World Inside Your Head." Campaign messages will concentrate on the evolution of the brain, as well as encourage parents to educate their children about brain disorders and diseases. The agency's primary focus will be to promote the exhibit when it opens on May 24th at the New York Hall of Sciences in Queens.

LANCASTER, PA: White Good & Company Advertising (WGCA) has been named PR agency for Natuzzi Americas, Italy's largest furniture manufacturer. WGCA is a member of the American Association of Advertising Agencies.

LANHAM, MD: Vocus has formed an alliance with Bacon's Information under which the former will incorporate the latter's database of media contacts, analysts, and editorial calendars into its online software application. The information will be offered as a standard feature to all US customers, and as an option to international ones.

MILPITAS, CA: AccelChip has chosen McClenahan Bruer Communications to manage the company's marketing communications programs. The agency's Portland, OR office will develop and implement a campaign to brand and position the company's technology, which focuses on electronic design automation and synthesis tools for digital signal processing design engineers.

NEW YORK: FD Morgen-Walke, has named Andy Maas, a six-year veteran of GCI Group's corporate practice, VP of the firm's New York office. He will report to Michael Bayer, MD of corporate communications.

CORRECTION: In the April 7 profile of NASA news chief Robert Mirelson, writer Kimberly Krautter incorrectly attributed quotes to Frank Moring of Aviation Week. Those statements should have been credited to veteran freelance space journalist Frank Sietzen Jr., who currently writes a column called "Spacelift Washington" on SpaceRef.com, published by NASAWatch.